UN warns of ‘staggering’ needs as more than 2.6m Afghans return

More than 2.6 million Afghans have returned from Iran and Pakistan since the start of 2025, deepening what the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) describes as one of the world’s most urgent humanitarian crises.

UNICEF Deputy Executive Director for Humanitarian Action and Supply Operations, Ted Chaiban, said that more than two million Afghans, including half a million children, have gone back so far this year alone, alongside returns from Central Asian countries.

He said he had “witnessed improved access throughout Afghanistan,” which has allowed UNICEF “to reach more children, women and communities with humanitarian services.”

At the Islam Qala reception centre on the border with Iran, Chaiban saw tens of thousands arriving each day and noted that returns peaked on 4 July with more than 50,000 people in a single day.

Families told him they were glad to be home but anxious about the future, with many worried about whether their daughters will be able to continue school beyond grade 6.

Chaiban stated that the education ban on adolescent girls has far-reaching consequences. He said a young teacher in Kunduz told him she had been “only months away from finishing medical school” before being barred, adding that this meant “one less female doctor to serve the critical health needs of women in Afghanistan.”

UNICEF said it has documented and supported more than 6,000 unaccompanied and separated children, reuniting them with families, but warned that more than half the population already needs humanitarian assistance, with housing, food and basic services under severe strain.

Chaiban called for a “systemised and phased approach” to ensure returns are “safe, dignified and voluntary,” and urged dialogue between Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan, as well as stronger donor support.

At the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday, the acting head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), Georgette Gagnon, said the situation of Afghans, “especially women and girls, demands both urgent attention and greater international support.”

She added that more than 23 million people will need humanitarian assistance in 2026 and said “their needs are staggering and growing,” warning too that media freedom in Afghanistan has become “increasingly restricted.”

The Afghan de-facto authorities have yet to comment on the latest UN statements but have previously welcomed international humanitarian efforts in the country.

Afghanistan is currently suffering one of its worst humanitarian crisis compounded by floods, earthquakes and clashes with neighbouring Pakistan.

A survey of more than 48,000 households found that more than half of Afghanistan's returnees have skipped medical care to buy food and 45% rely on open springs or unprotected wells for water.

Nearly 90% of returning Afghan families are in debt, owing $373 to $900, up to five times the average monthly income of $100 and nearly half of annual per-capita gross domestic product, the UNDP said.

In areas with high numbers of returnees, one teacher serves 70 to 100 students, 30% of children work and joblessness among returnees reaches 95%. The average monthly income is 6,623 Afghanis ($99.76), while rents have tripled.

The United Nations Development Programme warned that without urgent support to strengthen livelihoods and services in high-return areas, overlapping crises of poverty, exclusion and migration will deepen.

It said sustaining aid is critical as donor pledges have plunged since 2021, covering only a fraction of the $3.1 billion that the UN sought for Afghanistan this year.

The Taliban government appealed for international humanitarian assistance after a deadly quake struck eastern Afghanistan in September and it has formally protested Pakistan's mass expulsion of Afghan nationals, saying it is "deeply concerned" about their treatment.

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